What is the name of the Parisian tower. History of the eiffel tower in paris

Who among us would not like to be in the most romantic, magical and beautiful city on earth - Paris?! Here you can stroll along the Champs Elysees, admire the most recognizable landmark of Paris on the Champ de Mars - the Eiffel Tower, an airy latticed beauty standing on the left bank of the Seine.

From the history of creation

How the idea was born

The city authorities announced a competition for the best architectural structure that could become the pride of France. At the same time, the building was supposed to generate income and be easily dismantled later as unnecessary.

Engineer Gustave Eiffel submitted his project for a 300-meter iron tower to the commission, which was approved by the authorities of Paris. The construction required 7.8 million francs. The state allocated only 1.5 million to Eiffel. The engineer agreed to contribute the missing amount from personal funds, subject to the lease of the tower he built for 25 years.

An agreement was made, and in 1887 construction began, which had to be completed in 2 years, by the time the exhibition opened.

The history of construction and the uniqueness of the project

The tower was built in the shortest possible time. After 2 years, 2 months and 5 days, with the efforts of three hundred workers, its construction was completed. The "Iron Lady", as the Parisians called her, was assembled like a children's designer. At first, supports were built, and then they were connected using platforms.

The rapid pace of construction is explained by the excellently executed drawings, which indicate the absolutely exact dimensions of all metal parts. Until now, Eiffel's drawings are considered ideal, according to them, and now you can build an exact copy of the iron beauty. The assembly took 18,038 metal parts and 2.5 million rivets. The height of the tower is equal to an 80-storey building.

Despite its huge dimensions, it turned out to be light and elegant, as if woven from lace, although the entire structure weighs 10,000 tons. The weight of the covering paint is 57 tons.
The construction was carried out very carefully. A huge pit was dug, in which 4 ten-meter blocks were installed under each leg of the tower.

A special hydraulic jack ensured the ideal horizontal level of the blocks.

All wrought iron parts were made in Eiffel's own factory. Several parts on the ground were assembled into single blocks, sockets for rivets were drilled in them in advance. Each of these blocks weighed no more than 3 tons, which facilitated installation at a height.

When erecting the tower, Eiffel used such unusual construction tricks that the tabloid press predicted that he would be sent to a psychiatric clinic. He installed a small creeping crane that would move up the rails of future elevators. This accelerated the rise of structures to a height and eliminated the possibility of accidents during such high-rise construction.

On March 31, 1889, Eiffel invited willing officials for the first ascent. To do this, it was necessary to overcome 1710 steps. The tower was named after the engineer who built it. At that time, he could not even think that she would glorify and perpetuate his name.

architectural features

The base of the Eiffel Tower is a pyramid with four pillars, which, at a height of 60 meters, are connected by an arch. On it is a square platform with sides of 65 meters. This is the 1st floor. From this platform rise the next 4 pillars. At a height of 116 meters, they form another vault. The second platform is located on it - the square is 2 times smaller than the first. This is the 2nd floor.

The supports shot up from the second platform, gradually connecting, form a giant column 190 meters high. On this colossal rod, at a height of 276 meters from the ground, there is a third square platform with sides of 16.5 meters.

There is a lighthouse crowned with a dome. And above it, at a height of 300 meters, there is a small one and a half meter platform - the 3rd floor of the tower.

The height of the Eiffel Tower today is 324 meters, thanks to the television antenna installed on it.

In order for the tower to better meet the aesthetic tastes of the Parisian public, the architect Stéphane Sauvestre proposed sheathing the basement supports with stone, connecting them with the ground floor platform with patterned arches. And also place spacious glazed halls on the floors, give the top a rounded shape, and use various decorative elements to decorate it.

On all four sides of the basement pillars of the Eiffel Tower, the names of 72 prominent French scientists and engineers are engraved, including those who took part in the design and construction of the Iron Lady.

Why the French didn't like the Eiffel Tower

Now no one can imagine Paris without the Eiffel Tower. But it was not always so. After construction, it caused strong discontent among many townspeople. Parisian bohemia indignantly demanded the removal of "a ridiculous tower, this clumsy skeleton." They called her an ugly, tasteless, huge iron pipe, a street lamp and a leaky candelabra.

Many were outraged by the shadow of the tower, and annoyed by the fact that it can be seen from anywhere in the city.
The famous French writer Guy de Maupassant, who constantly came to dine at a restaurant open on the ground floor, answering the question why he dine here, categorically replied: "This is the only place in the city where the Eiffel Tower is not visible."

But visitors to the exhibition and guests of the capital liked the unusual structure very much. The success was resounding: in just 6 months it was visited by 2 million people. During the same time, she almost completely recouped the construction costs.

The construction was planned to be dismantled in 1909, 20 years after the construction, but after a stunning commercial success, the tower received an “eternal registration”. The operation of his offspring brought Eiffel a lot of money.

Time passed and proved that all the protests were in vain. And Eiffel managed to turn his enemies into admirers. An unheard-of advertisement for the tower was brought by a concert by the opera composer Charles Gounod, who agreed to play the “Concert in the Clouds” here, accepting the unusual invitation of Eiffel.

A team of workers delivered the composer's piano to a height of 376 meters, and the concert sounded, amazing the puzzled audience. Eiffel himself, in order to finally defeat the skeptics, arranged his personal office on the upper tier.

The dismantling was finally abandoned when the Eiffel Tower became the property of the capital. It was actively used for telephone and telegraph communications, and the placement of radio stations. Since 1935, television programs have also been regularly broadcast.

What is interesting about the tower today

Today the Eiffel Tower is the main attraction of Paris. For most tourists, it causes constant admiration. Even after 120 years, it remains the tallest building in Paris and the fifth tallest in all of France. Despite its majestic dimensions, the structure exerts pressure on the ground equal to the pressure of a person sitting on a chair.

Information for tourists

At the foot there are ticket offices, an information desk with brochures and booklets. There is a souvenir shop on each floor of the structure. There is a snack bar and a post office for tourists.

On the ground floor, visitors are greeted by a restaurant and a center where films about the construction of the Eiffel Tower are shown. There is also a fragment of an old spiral staircase leading to the upper floors and to the office of Eiffel himself.

Visitors approaching from the north side will see a gilded bust of its creator with a simple inscription: "Eiffel 1832-1923".

On the second observation deck - the restaurant "Jules Verne" and a small flooded skating rink.

The main goal of the overwhelming number of visitors is the third level. Elevators ascend to it, through the windows of which you can admire Paris. Those who wish will be able to climb the stairs with 1792 steps. On the top floor in an exquisite bar, you can celebrate your rise with expensive champagne, a glass of which will cost 900 rubles in our money.

The tower has several dozen linear and parabolic antennas for broadcasting radio and TV programs. The light of the lighthouse is visible for 10 km. Cell towers and a unique meteorological station that record data on atmospheric pollution and background radiation are located on the structure.

original lighting

Immediately after construction, the tower shone with multi-colored lights: a lighthouse was installed on top, glowing with the colors of the French flag, two searchlights and 10,000 gas lamps. In 1900, the structure was equipped with electric light bulbs. And in 1925, the owner of the Citroen company placed a grandiose advertisement on it. With the help of 125 thousand light bulbs, images of the tower itself, the zodiac constellations, as well as products of the famous French automobile concern, appeared in turn.

Over time, the lighting of the Eiffel Tower has been modernized several times. In order to save money in 2015, electric lamps were replaced with LEDs. When night falls on the city, the symbol of Paris lights up with thousands of small lights. This is a spectacle of indescribable beauty, from which it is impossible to look away.

Usually the tower glows with golden lights. But during solemn events or mourning events, it is painted in the colors of the flags of various countries. Inscriptions are projected, symbolizing the coming event. In the evening, 10 minutes of every hour, a light show continues - illumination.

Patented tower color

During its existence, the tower was both yellow and red-brown.
Today, its bronze color is officially patented and is called brown-eiffel. Cosmetic repairs are carried out every 7 years and last a year and a half.

Each time the old layer of paint is completely removed with high pressure steam. During a thorough inspection, unusable parts are replaced with new ones.
After that, the tower is covered with two layers of paint, which requires 57 tons.

The color is not uniform everywhere, it is painted in different tones of bronze color - from dark at the base to lighter at the very top. This is done so that the structure looks harmonious against the sky. It is interesting that even today the paint is applied with brushes.

During the German occupation, the aggressors could not hoist their flag on the tower. All lifting mechanisms were removed by the French, and the specialists called from Germany could not help in any way.
The tower is designed in such a way that it is not afraid of storms - during the strongest wind, it deviates from its axis by only 12 centimeters. The iron structure is more susceptible to the sun. Iron elements from heating expand so that the upper part sometimes deviates sideways up to 20 centimeters.
In 2010, from the 2nd floor, from a height of 115 meters, a record was set for roller jumping.
In 2012, Alain Robber climbed to the top of the monument without insurance.
Every year, the attraction is visited by 6 million tourists, in one day - 30 thousand people.
About 2,000 kilograms of paper per year is required to print tickets for the Iron Lady visitors.

- a metal 300-meter tower, which is located in the center of Paris. The most famous French and world landmark, which, only by the will of circumstances, was not dismantled, as was intended during its construction.

The fate of the Eiffel Tower is quite interesting. Its construction was completed in 1889, the year France hosted the World Exhibition, and the tower was the winner of the competition for projects that were supposed to determine the appearance of the exhibition complex and decorate it. According to the original plan, 20 years after the exhibition, this metal structure was to be dismantled, since it did not fit into the architectural appearance of the French capital and was not conceived as a permanent building, the development of the radio saved the most popular attraction in the world.

Facts about the Eiffel Tower

The height of the tower is 300.65 meters to the roof, 324.82 meters to the end of the spire;
Weight - 7300 tons tower and 10000 tons of the whole building;
Year of construction - 1889;
Construction time - 2 years 2 months and 5 days;
Creator - bridge engineer Gustave Eiffel;
Number of steps - 1792 to the lighthouse, 1710 to the platform of the 3rd level;
The number of visitors is more than 6 million per year;

About the Eiffel Tower

Eiffel tower height

The exact height of the tower is 300.65 meters. This is exactly what Eiffel conceived of it, who even gave it the simplest name: “three-meter tower” or simply “three-hundred-meter”, “tour de 300 mètres” in French.

But after the construction, a spire-antenna was installed on the tower and now its total height from the base to the end of the spire is 324.82 meters.

At the same time, the third and last floor is located at a height of 276 meters, which is the maximum available to ordinary visitors.

The Eiffel Tower looks like an unusual pyramid. Four columns rest on a concrete foundation, and as they rise they intertwine into a single square column.

At a height of 57.64 meters, the four columns are connected for the first time by the first square platform, a 4,415-square-meter floor capable of accommodating 3,000 people. The platform lies on an arched vault, which largely forms the recognizable appearance of the tower and which served as a kind of gateway to the World Exhibition.

Starting from the platform of the second floor, the four columns of the tower are intertwined into a single structure. On it, at a height of 276.1 meters, the third and last floor is located, its area is not as small as it might seem - 250 square meters, which allows you to receive 400 people at the same time.

But above the third floor of the tower, at a height of 295 meters, there is a lighthouse, now it is controlled by software. The tower is crowned with a spire, which was added later and which was modified several times. It acts as a flagpole and holder for various antennas, radio and television.

Eiffel Tower construction

The main material of the tower is pudding steel. The weight of the tower itself is approximately 7,300 tons, and the entire structure with the foundation and auxiliary structures weighs 10,000 tons. In total, 18,038 individual parts were used in the construction, which were held together with 2.5 million rivets. At the same time, each of the details of the tower weighed no more than three tons, which removed most of the problems with their lifting and installation.

During the construction, many fairly innovative engineering methods were used, which its creator, Gustave Eiffel, learned from his experience in bridge building. The tower was built in just 2 years by 300 workers, and thanks to the high level of safety measures and structures that simplified assembly, only one person died during the construction.

The high speed of work was achieved, firstly, by the very detailed drawings that were created by the engineers of the Eiffel bureau, and, secondly, by the fact that all parts of the tower were delivered to the construction site ready for use. There was no need to drill holes in the various elements, adjust them to each other, and 2/3 of the rivets were already in place. So the workers could only assemble the tower as a constructor, using ready-made detailed drawings.

Eiffel tower color

The question of the color of the Eiffel Tower is also interesting. Now the Eiffel Tower is painted in the patented color "Eiffel Tower Brown", which imitates the color of bronze. But at different times, it changed its color and was both orange and burgundy, until the current color was approved in 1968.

On average, the tower is repainted every seven years, with the last painting taking place in 2009-2010, on the landmark's 120th anniversary. All work was carried out by 25 painters. Old paint is removed with high pressure steam. At the same time, an external inspection of structural elements is carried out, worn ones are replaced. Then paint is applied to the tower, which requires approximately 60 tons, including 10 tons of soil and the paint itself, which is applied in two layers. An interesting fact: the tower has different shades at the bottom and at the top, so that the color is uniform for the human eye.

But the main function of paint is not decorative, but purely practical. It protects the iron tower from corrosion and environmental influences.

Reliability of the Eiffel Tower

Of course, a building of this size is greatly influenced by wind and other weather phenomena. At the time of its construction, many people believed that engineering aspects were not taken into account in the design, and an information campaign was even raised against Gustave Eiffel. But the experienced bridge builder was well aware of the possible risks and created a completely stable structure with recognizable twisted columns.

As a result, the tower resists the wind very effectively, the average deviation from the axis is 6–8 centimeters, even a hurricane wind deflects the tower's spire by no more than 15 centimeters.

But a metal tower is greatly influenced by sunlight. The side of the tower facing the sun heats up and due to thermal expansion, the top can deviate even by 18 centimeters, much more than under the influence of a strong wind.

Tower lighting

Another important element of the Eiffel Tower is its illumination. Already during the creation, it was clear that such a grandiose object needed to be illuminated, therefore 10,000 gas lamps and searchlights were installed on the tower, which shone into the sky with the colors of the French tricolor. In 1900, electric lamps began to illuminate the contours of the tower.

In 1925, a huge advertisement appeared on the tower, bought by André Citroën. Initially, on three sides of the tower there was a vertically written surname and the name of the Citroen concern, which was visible for 40 kilometers around. Then it was slightly modernized by adding a clock and pointers. This lighting was dismantled in 1934.

In 1937, the Eiffel Tower began to be illuminated with light beams, and modern illumination based on gas discharge lamps was installed in 1986. Then the lighting was changed and modified several more times, for example, in 2008 the tower was illuminated with stars in the shape of the EU flag.

The last upgrade of the backlight was carried out in 2015, the lamps were replaced with LEDs in order to save energy. In parallel, work was carried out to install thermal panels, two windmills, a system for collecting and using rainwater.

In addition, the Eiffel Tower is used to launch fireworks during various holidays - New Year's Eve, Bastille Day, etc.

An interesting fact: the image of the Eiffel Tower is public property and can be used freely, but the image and appearance of the tower with the lights on is copyrighted by the management company and can only be used with their permission.

Floors of the Eiffel Tower

As already mentioned, the Eiffel Tower has three levels, not counting the area with the lighthouse, where only workers and squares at the base can enter. Each floor is not just an observation deck, there are souvenir shops, restaurants, and other objects, so each level of the Eiffel Tower should be mentioned separately.

As already mentioned, it is located at an altitude of 57 meters from ground level. Most recently, this level of the tower underwent a renovation, during which individual elements on the floor were updated and a transparent floor was built. There are a large number of different objects here:

Glass balustrades and a transparent floor, which give an unforgettable experience of walking through the void at a height of more than 50 meters from the ground. Fear not, the floor is perfectly safe!
Restaurant 58 Tour Eiffel. Not the only one in the tower, but the most famous.
Buffet if you just want a bite to eat or a drink.
A small cinema hall in which a film about the Eiffel Tower is broadcast by many projectors on three walls at once.
A small museum with interactive screens that tells the history of the tower.
Fragment of the old spiral staircase that led to the personal office of Gustave Eiffel.
A seating area where you can just sit and watch Paris from a bird's eye view.
Souvenir shop.

You can get to the first floor both on foot, overcoming 347 steps, and by elevator. At the same time, an elevator ticket costs 1.5 times more, so walking is not only useful, but also profitable. True, in this case, the third, highest platform will not be available to you.

The height of the second floor of the tower is 115 meters. The second and first floors are connected by stairs and an elevator. If you decide to climb the second level of the Eiffel Tower on foot, then get ready to overcome 674 steps, this is not an easy test, so soberly assess your strength.

In terms of area, this floor is two times smaller than the first, because there are not so many objects here:

Jules Verne restaurant where you can treat yourself to gourmet French cuisine while looking at the city from a great height. Interestingly, this restaurant has a separate direct access from the ground via an elevator in the southern column of the bridge.
The Historical Window is a gallery that tells about the construction of the Eiffel Tower and the operation of its elevators, both the first hydraulic and modern ones.
Observation deck with large panoramic windows.
Buffet.
Souvenir kiosk.

The last, third floor of the Eiffel Tower is the most interesting part of it. Of course, restaurants at a bird's eye view are interesting, but nothing compares to the panorama of Paris from a height of almost 300 square meters.

Visitors can only get to the third floor of the tower by ascending in a glass elevator, although a staircase leads here, which originally had 1665 steps, but was later replaced by a safer 1710 steps.

The last floor of the tower is quite small, its area is only 250 square meters, so there are few objects here:

Observation deck.
Champagne bar.
Eiffel's study with original interior and wax figures.
Panoramic maps that allow you to determine the direction to other cities and attractions.
Scale model of the floor in its original form from 1889.

The main thing on this floor, of course, is panoramic windows that allow you to see Paris from a great height. To date, the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower is the second highest in Europe after the site of the Ostankino TV tower in Moscow.

Where is the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is located in the center of Paris, on the Champ de Mars. From the Champs Elysees to the tower about two kilometers.

Walking around the center on foot, it is impossible to miss the tower, just look up and you will see it, and then just go in the right direction.

Nearest metro station: Bir-Hakeim, 6th line - from it to the tower you need to walk only 500 meters. But it can also be reached from Trocadero stations (crossing of lines 6 and 9), Ecole Militaire (line 8).

Nearest RER station: Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel (line C).

Bus routes: 42, 69, 72, 82, 87, stop "Champ de Mars" or "Tour Eiffel"

In addition, near the Eiffel Tower there is a pier where boats and pleasure boats stop. There is also parking for cars and bicycles near the tower.

Eiffel Tower on the map

Information for those wishing to visit the Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower opening hours:

Mid-June to end of September:

Elevator - from 9:00 to 0:45 (entry until 0:00 on the 1st and 2nd floor and until 23:00 on the 3rd floor)
Stairs - from 9:00 to 0:45 (entry until 0:00)

Rest of the year:

Elevator - from 9:30 to 23:45 (entry until 23:00 on the 1st and 2nd floor and until 22:30 on the 3rd floor)
Stairs - from 9:30 to 18:30 (entry until 18:00)

There are no days off, the Eiffel Tower is open all days of the year, and on holidays (Easter and spring break) it has an extended work schedule.

Ticket prices for the Eiffel Tower:

Elevator with access to the 1st and 2nd floor - 11 €;
Staircase with access to the 1st and 2nd floor - 7 €;
Elevator to the 3rd observation deck - 17 €;

Ticket prices are for adults. Group tours, as well as tickets for children (4-11 years old), youth (12-24 years old) and people with disabilities are cheaper.

Important: schedule and ticket prices may change, we recommend checking the information on the official website of the tower toureiffel.paris

Category: Paris

Just as it is hard to imagine Moscow without the Kremlin, so Paris without the Eiffel Tower is not Paris. Of all the architectural sights of the French capital, it is the most famous. It was designed by Gustav Eiffel, after whom the building is named. Moreover, the Eiffel Tower is not only a symbol of the city on the Seine, but also a visiting card of the whole of France. The “tall” beauty is eager to be seen by millions of tourists from all over the world. There is no exaggeration here, since according to official statistics, about 5-6 million people visit the tower every year, and over 250 million visitors have visited the tower over the entire history of its existence. Only one thing follows from this: the named attraction is the most visited not only in Paris and France, but throughout the world.

The Eiffel project was said "yes"!

1889 marked the centenary of the French Revolution (in Soviet historiography it was also called the bourgeois revolution). The date is epochal, so the city administration of Paris decided to coincide with the World Exhibition. The authorities wanted the event to have its own original architectural appearance. For advice and help, they turned to Gustave Eiffel. He was at first confused - what to offer something? But chance helped. The designer quite unexpectedly found in his drawings a sketch of a three-hundred-meter metal tower, which he had once put on the back burner and almost forgot about it. The municipality liked the drawings and in September 1884 he was awarded a patent for the construction of this colossus.

In the spring of 1886, a competition was announced for the best architectural and engineering projects. It was they who were to determine the appearance of the future "revolutionary" exhibition. 107 architects-contestants presented their projects. Each of them - so coincidentally - had something in common with the project that Eiffel had drawn. There were also alternative proposals. For example, build a stone tower. The idea was initially liked, but then abandoned. It was considered that it would be problematic to build a stone building, and even such a high one. Specialists knew with what great efforts the Americans a few years before erected the Monument in Washington (169 m). And overseas "feat" in Paris is unlikely to be repeated.

As a result, the organizing committee said "yes" to G. Eiffel's project. Its members were sure that the eminent engineer would build such a tower in the optimal time frame, in two years, as he used a special construction technique. The only embarrassing thing was that the future tower would not differ in great sophistication of forms. Here the architect Stefan Sauvestre helped, who took up the aesthetic appearance of the building. He came up with the idea to sheathe the basement supports with stone, connecting them with the ground floor platform with the help of large arches. The arches were conceived as the main entrance to the World's Fair. The floors of the tower were not supposed to be empty either. The architect proposed to equip them with large halls with glass showcases. He did not forget about the top of the tower, deeming it necessary to round the shape of the top, using a variety of elements for its decoration.

"Treaty of Three" and the price of the issue

By the beginning of 1887, all organizational aspects of the construction were successfully settled. The signing of an agreement was scheduled for January, granting Eiffel the right to personal operating lease of the tower for as much as 25 years. The document was signed by the architect himself, a representative of the French government and an authorized person from the metropolitan municipality. The document also provided for the allocation to Eiffel of a special subsidy of one and a half million gold francs. It was a lot of money, 25% of the total budget for the construction of the tower.

Meanwhile, there was a catastrophic lack of funds to continue the work. To get things off the ground, they decided to organize a joint-stock company. The authorized capital amounted to 5 million. Half of the amount was contributed by three large banks, the rest by Eiffel personally. Thus, the price of the issue of building the tower amounted to about 7.8 million francs. These investments paid off quickly, even during the exhibition. The subsequent operation of the structure also turned out to be a profitable business.

Gustave Eiffel did not deceive expectations and really quickly completed the construction. It lasted from January 28, 1887 to March 31, 1889. That is, two years, two months and five days. In total, 300 workers were involved in the construction of the facility. But not only their professionalism and skill became the key to success. The record-breaking short construction period was made possible thanks to high-quality drawings. Eiffel pointed out with extreme precision - just think! - the dimensions of more than 18 thousand metal parts that were assembled using - there is no limit to the admiration for craftsmanship! - two and a half million rivets.

How was the construction?

Meeting deadlines became a matter of honor for Eiffel. Therefore, he first prepared most of the fragments of the tower, and only then they were fastened together with rivets. Holes for them were drilled in advance, so as not to mess around later. The architect also made sure that the prepared beams were not too heavy: this would have made construction very difficult. The optimal weight was not exceeding 3 tons, which made it easier to lift the fragments to the intended height.

Details of the future attraction were lifted up with the help of conventional cranes. But the construction methodically grew upward, and the lifts could no longer reach the right places. Prudent Eiffel was ready for such a development of events. He designed special mobile cranes that moved along the rails of the still missing elevators. There were difficulties here. After all, the lifting device had to move along the tower masts not just along a curved path, but also having a constantly changing radius of curvature. As for the actual elevators, the very first of them were driven by hydraulic pumps. Fives-Lill elevators, which were installed in 1899 in both legs of the tower, are in working order to this day. Only since 1983 they are driven by an electric motor. And the “retired” hydraulic pumps are safe and sound and anyone who wishes can see them.

The impressive size of the tower

The dimensions of the Eiffel Tower can impress the most sophisticated imagination. Let's start with weight: the whole mass structure is 10,100 tons, and the metal structure of the tower is 7,300 tons. Concrete masses form its foundation. Eiffel's brainchild is not afraid of any storms, its fluctuations under the influence of strong air currents are no more than 15 cm. In Paris, the strongest gust of wind, 180 km per hour, was somehow recorded. However, he rejected its top only by 12 cm. But the sun acts as a big "pest". The side of the iron structure facing it becomes very hot under its rays and expands. Accordingly, she leans to the side. And by as much as 18 cm.

You can climb the tower not only by elevators, but also by stairs. There are "a few" steps in it - 1792. And now let's mentally go down to the lowest floor. We are looking closely. It looks like a pyramid. At the base, each side is 129.2 m. This "pyramid" is formed by four columns. At a height of 57.63 meters, they are connected by an arched vault. The first platform of the tower was located on it. It looks like a square, the size of which is 65 m in diameter. From this platform, the second floor, the “pyramid”, rushes up. It is also formed by four columns. They are also connected by a vault. It houses the second square platform. It is slightly smaller and its size in diameter is 35 m. The height at which platform No. 2 is located is 115.73 m. Four platforms rise on it, which approach like pyramids and, intertwining step by step, form one huge column, also of a pyramidal type (190 meters). She, on herself, at a height of 276.13 m, carries the third platform. The shape is also square, 16.5 m in diameter. On this platform there is a lighthouse with a dome, and above it (height - 300 m) there is a platform with a diameter of 1.4 meters. The lighthouse reaches a distance of 10 km with its light.

What is on these platforms? The first one is equipped with restaurant halls. The second was given over to the storage of containers with machine oil, which is necessary for the operation of the elevator. Here, in the glass gallery, there is also a restaurant. Well, the third platform was assigned to two laboratories (meteorological and astronomical) and a physics office.

The designer was severely criticized for the shape of the tower, accusing that he allegedly created something “non-artistic”. Eiffel reasonedly responded to such criticism by giving an interview to Le Temps in February 1887. The "strange" shape of the tower, he said, is dictated by the need to forestall wind loads. Therefore, together with his assistants, the architect scrupulously calculated precisely the possible impact of atmospheric flows. Hence, the tower has such an unusual shape.

Pit pits for tower supports were arranged by Eiffel according to the method he used in the construction of bridges. The foundation of the structure had 16 caissons. Each of them had a working space. And in each, at the direction of the architect, air was pumped under pressure. The pressure prevented the penetration of groundwater, which allowed workers to excavate unhindered. The designer resorted to this method due to the proximity of the Seine.

When creating the tower, no one, including Eiffel, could have imagined that it would stand for more than a hundred years. The project was originally planned for 20 years, and then only as an exhibit for the World Exhibition.
As of 1889 (opening date), the Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world. It towered at 300.65 m and held this championship for 40 years, losing it in 1930 to the New York skyscraper Chrysler Building.
Gustave Eiffel himself called his brainchild simply a 300-meter tower ( fr. tour de 300 mètres) and immortalized on its body the names of outstanding French engineers and mathematicians, a total of 70 people.
During the construction of the tower, the only death was recorded: one of the workers crashed during the fall.
In 1925, all sides of the tower (there are 4 of them) were hung with billboards advertising Citroen. They hung there until 1934 and were at that time the largest outdoor advertising in the world.
In the restaurant on the first floor of the tower, Guy de Maupassant regularly dined, who did not hide his negative attitude towards her. He was asked: why eat in such an unpleasant place? The writer replied that the tower is the only place in Paris from where it is ... not visible.
When the Germans were on the outskirts of Paris during the Second World War, the townspeople made the elevator on the tower unusable. The French did not want the enemy to admire the view of the defeated city. But Hitler was not embarrassed. The Fuhrer climbed to its summit on foot. The elevator was restored only in 1944.
The Eiffel Tower, unfortunately, attracts suicides. The first suicide occurred here on July 15, 1898, when 23-year-old Rene Shipon hanged himself on a beam of one of the tower supports. For more than 120 years of its existence, about 400 people have taken their own lives here.
The lighting of the Eiffel Tower was turned on immediately on the day of its opening. It was represented by gas lamps (10 thousand pieces), two searchlights. And also a beacon that gave light, painted in blue, white and red colors of the national flag of France. Electric lamps appeared on the structure only in 1900. On December 31, 1985, the well-known tower lighting system was turned on from inside the tower itself. It was designed in such a way that after dark the main symbol of Paris looks simply magical.
The Eiffel Tower is so famous and popular that smaller copies of it appeared in many cities. Among those are Las Vegas, Guangzhou, Copenhagen, Varna, Slobodzeya and others.
The Eiffel Tower is not only a tourist attraction. It is used as an ordinary TV tower. The signal from it extends not only to Paris, but also to the Ile-de-France region.
A wide panorama of Paris and the metropolitan area opens from the third floor of the building. The viewing radius is about 70 km. Connoisseurs say that the best visibility occurs in clear weather an hour before sunset.

Construction eiffel tower, which later became a symbol of Paris, was completed in 1889, it was originally conceived as a temporary structure that served as the entrance arch to the Paris World Exhibition of 1889.

The exhibition was held in Paris and was dedicated to the centenary of the French Revolution. The Paris city administration approached famous French engineers with an offer to take part in an architectural competition. At such a competition, it was necessary to find a building that visibly demonstrates the engineering and technological achievements of the country.

Sasha Mitrahovich 19.01.2016 13:02

1886 Three years later, the World Industrial Exhibition EXPO will begin its work in Paris. The exhibition organizers announced a competition for a temporary architectural structure that would serve as an entrance to the exhibition and personify the technical revolution of its time, the beginning of grandiose transformations in the life of mankind. The proposed building was supposed to generate income and be easily dismantled.

On May 1, 1886, a competition of architectural and engineering projects for the future World Exhibition was opened in France, in which 107 applicants took part. Various extravagant ideas were under consideration, among them, for example, a giant guillotine, which was supposed to be reminiscent of the French Revolution of 1789.

Among the participants of the competition was the engineer and designer Gustave Eiffel, who proposed a project that had never been seen before in world construction - a 300-meter metal tower - the tallest building in the world. He got the very idea of the tower from the drawings of his company's employees Maurice Koehlen and Emile Nougier. Gustave Eiffel receives a joint patent for the project with them, and subsequently redeems from them the exclusive right to the future Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel project becomes one of the 4 winners and then the engineer makes final changes to it, finding a compromise between the original purely engineering design scheme and the decorative version. Thanks to the changes made by the engineer to the decorative design of the tower, the organizers of the competition gave preference to his "Iron Lady".

In the end, the committee stops at the Eiffel plan, although the very idea of the tower did not belong to him, but to two of his employees: Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nougier. It was possible to assemble such a complex structure as a tower within two years only because Eiffel applied special construction methods. This explains the decision of the exhibition committee in favor of this project.

In order for the tower to better meet the aesthetic tastes of the demanding Parisian public, the architect Stéphane Sauvestre proposed to sheathe the basement supports of the tower with stone, to connect its supports and the ground floor platform with the help of majestic arches, which would simultaneously become the main entrance to the exhibition, to place spacious glazed halls, give the top of the tower a rounded shape and use a variety of decorative elements to decorate it.

In January 1887, the Eiffel, the state and the municipality of Paris signed an agreement, according to which Eiffel was granted for personal use the operating lease of the tower for a period of 25 years, and also provided for the payment of a cash subsidy in the amount of 1.5 million gold francs, which amounted to 25% of all expenses for tower construction. On December 31, 1888, in order to raise the missing funds, a joint-stock company was created with an authorized fund of 5 million francs. Half of this amount is funds deposited by three banks, the other half is Eiffel's personal funds.

The final construction budget amounted to 7.8 million francs.

Eiffel Tower- This is the emblem of Paris and a high-altitude antenna.
At the same time, 10,000 people can be on the tower.
The project was made by the architect Stephan Sauvestre, but the engineer Gustave Eiffel (1823-1923), better known to the public, built the tower. Other works by Eiffel: Ponte de Dona Maria Pia, viaduct de Garabi, iron frame for New York's Statue of Liberty.
Since its inception, the tower has been visited by about 250 million people.
The mass of the metal part of the structure is 7,300 tons, and the entire tower is 10,100 tons.
In 1925, the rogue Victor Lustig managed to sell the iron structure for scrap, and he was able to pull off this trick twice!
In good weather, from the top of the tower, Paris and its surroundings can be viewed within a radius of up to 70 kilometers. It is believed that the best time to visit the Eiffel Tower, providing the best visibility, is an hour before sunset.
The tower also holds a sad record - about 400 people committed suicide by throwing themselves down from its upper platform. In 2009, the terrace was fenced with protective barriers and now this place is very popular with romantic couples kissing in front of all of Paris.

Sasha Mitrahovich 19.01.2016 13:32

One of the most talented swindlers of the 20th century was Count Victor Lustig (1890-1947). This man spoke five languages, received an excellent upbringing. He was bold and fearless. 45 of his pseudonyms are known, and only in the USA he was arrested 50 times.

"As long as there are fools in the world, Deception to live with us, therefore, from the hand."

There are a great many smart scammers who use not too smart fellow citizens for their own purposes. But for your name to be included not only in criminal chronicles, but also in legends, you must truly have extraordinary abilities. One of these scammers is Viktor Lustig.

Among his exploits are both minor sins and grandiose scams. A young man from a poor Czech family presented himself as a ruined Austrian count. And so skillfully adhered to this role - that no one had any doubts about his title. Fluency in five languages, knowledge of all the intricacies of secular and business etiquette, the ability to freely stay in society - these are the qualities thanks to which he was his own both in high society and in the gangster environment. However, in addition to his native "count" surname, the swindler used several dozen more pseudonyms for his activities. Under them, Victor went on various cruises and arranged various drawings and lotteries on board the ships from those that we habitually call “scams” today.

Fair game, or scam with Al Capone

One of the legends associated with the name of Lustig was the story of his "collaboration" with Al Capone. One day, in 1926, a tall, well-dressed young man visited a famous gangster of the day. The man introduced himself as Count Victor Lustig. He asked for $50,000 to double that amount.

The gangster was not at all sorry to invest such an insignificant amount in a dubious enterprise, and he gave them to the count. The deadline for the implementation of the plan is 2 months. Lustig took the money, put it in a bank vault in Chicago, and then went to New York. Lustig made no attempt to double the amount left in Chicago.

Two months later, he returned, took the money from the bank and went to the gangster. There he apologized, said that the plan did not work and gave the money back. To which the gangster replied, “I expected $100,000 or nothing. But… get my money back… Yes, you are an honest man! If you're in trouble, just take this." He gave the count $5,000. But these 5 thousand were the target of Lustig's scam!

Scrap metal, or how the Eiffel Tower was sold

But what is a "bonus" of five thousand? And the amounts that Victor helped out as a result of lotteries, fraud with banks and not too fair poker games seemed to him miserable. The soul demanded scope. That the fraud was grandiose. Well, the proceeds, of course, should not lag behind either.

Lustig was hungry for action and the right opportunity was not long in coming. In May 1925, Victor Lustig and his friend and companion Dan Collins arrived in Paris. On the first day of their arrival, their attention was drawn to an article in the local newspaper. It talked about the fact that the famous one is in a terrible state and the city authorities are considering the option of dismantling it.

The idea of a brilliant scam was born instantly. For its implementation, a luxurious room was rented in an expensive hotel and documents were made stating that Viktor Lustig was the deputy head of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs. Then invitations were sent out to the five largest metal traders. The letters contained an invitation to an important and top-secret meeting with the deputy general director of the department at the Crillon Hotel, at the time the most prestigious hotel in Paris.

After meeting the guests in luxurious apartments, Lustig began to make a lengthy speech about the content eiffel tower costs the state a lot of money. That it was built as a temporary structure for the World Exhibition in Paris, and now, after 30 years, is so dilapidated that it simply poses a threat to Paris and the city authorities are considering demolishing the tower. Therefore, a kind of tender for the purchase of the tower was announced among those present.

Such a proposal could not fail to arouse the interest of those invited, but Andre Poisson was especially interested in it. He was inspired not only by the obvious financial benefits of the deal, but also by the opportunity to make history. Maybe it was this conceited interest that was noticed by Lustig and it was he who became the reason that after some time it was Monsieur Poisson who was assigned a confidential meeting.

During this meeting, Victor Lustig was somewhat restless. He told Poisson that he had every chance of winning the tender, and for a complete victory, he only needed to "advance" his candidacy a little with the help of a small reward personally to Victor. Prior to this meeting, Monsieur Poisson had suspicions: why all meetings related to the tender take place in such a secret setting, and not even in the offices of the ministry, but in a hotel room. But such extortion on the part of the official, oddly enough, dispelled Poisson's last doubts about the suspicious transaction. He counted out several large bills and persuaded Lustig to take them, then wrote a check for a quarter of a million francs, received documents for the Eiffel Tower and left satisfied. When Monsieur Poisson began to suspect something was wrong, Victor Lustig had already fled to Vienna with a suitcase of cash received on the check he had drawn.

Even despite the fact that Victor Lustig fell into the hands of the police more than fifty times - he always managed to get away with it. The police had to let the talented swindler go, because they simply did not have enough evidence to prove his guilt. Victor Lustig was not only a talented swindler, but also a good psychologist. Most of the victims he deceived did not go to the police, not wanting to look like fools in the eyes of the public. Even Monsieur Poisson, who "bought" the Eiffel Tower for a substantial amount, was more likely to part with his money than to become the laughingstock of all Paris and lose his reputation as a shrewd businessman.

The story of the Eiffel Tower became Lustig's swan song. Some time after the deal with Poisson, he returned to Paris and decided to sell the tower again to one of the bidders. But the deceived businessman quickly saw through the swindler and reported to the police. Lustig managed to escape the French police for the United States. But there he was caught and put on trial. American justice has also accumulated a lot of claims against the talented swindler. In December 1935, the count was arrested. He received 15 years in prison for counterfeiting dollars, as well as 5 years for escaping from another prison just a month ago. He was transferred to the famous Alcatraz prison island near San Francisco, where he died of pneumonia in March 1947.

Sasha Mitrahovich 19.01.2016 14:08

The Eiffel Tower, the symbol of Paris, has a complicated history. At first, it was categorically not accepted, then they got used to it, and now it is impossible to imagine the capital of France without this amazing building.

Location

The famous symbol of Paris, which gives the city a look familiar to the whole world, is located on a former military parade ground, which has been turned into a beautiful park. It is divided into alleys, decorated with small ponds and flower beds. Opposite the tower is the Jena Bridge. The delicate openwork construction is visible from many points in Paris, though Eiffel did not originally plan for it. The tower was supposed to fulfill one function - to become an unusual entrance to the World's Fair.

Design approval and design assignment

The history of the Eiffel Tower began at the end of the 19th century. In 1889, the World Exhibition was to be held in the capital of France. This event was of great importance for the country. It was timed to coincide with the centenary of the day and was supposed to last for 6 months.

One of the objectives of the exhibition is to demonstrate technical innovations, so the creators of the pavilions competed whose project would reflect the future the most. The entrance to the exhibition was supposed to be an arch. The architects were given the task to prepare a project for a structure that would demonstrate the technical strength of the country and the achievements of engineering.

A proposal to participate in the competition from the Paris administration was received by all the engineering and design bureaus of the city, including Gustave Eiffel. He did not have ready-made solutions, and he decided to look for something suitable in projects that were shelved. It was there that he found a sketch of the tower, created by Maurice Queshlen, his employee. With the help of Emile Nouguier, the design of the building was finalized and submitted to the competition by Eiffel. The prudent engineer first received a patent for it together with the creators of the project, and then bought it from Keshlen and Nougier. Thus, ownership of the drawings of the tower passed to Gustave Eiffel.

Many interesting and controversial projects were proposed for the competition, and the history of the Eiffel Tower might never have begun. The engineer made changes to the design to make it more decorative, and from the four remaining applicants at the end of the competition, the commission chose him.

Eiffel Tower - the year the construction began and the stages of construction

The construction of the giant structure began on January 28, 1887. It lasted for two years, two months and five days. At that time it was an unprecedented speed. Everything was explained by the highest accuracy of the drawings, in which the size of more than 18 thousand structural details was scrupulously accurately indicated. In addition, in order to speed up the pace of work as much as possible, Eiffel used prefabricated parts of the tower. Two and a half million rivets were used to connect all the details of the structure. In the parts prepared in advance, the holes for the rivets were already drilled, and most of them were installed, which greatly speeded up the assembly.

Eiffel provided that none of the pre-prepared beams and other parts of the structure weighed more than 3 tons - so it was easier to lift them with cranes. When the height of the tower outgrew the size of the lifting devices, mobile cranes specially designed by the architect came to the rescue, which moved along the rails created for future elevators.

The most difficult thing for them was not work at the very top, at a height of 300 meters, but the erection of the first platform of the tower. Sand-filled metal cylinders supported the weight of four inclined supports. Gradually releasing sand, they could be set in the correct position. When this was done, the first platform was installed strictly horizontally.

The cost of the construction of the tower amounted to almost 8 million francs. The construction costs were repaid within the time of the exhibition (6 months).

Weight and size of the structure

How many meters tall was the Eiffel Tower at first? It was 300 meters and was much more amazing in its size (93 meters along with a granite pedestal).

How high is the Eiffel Tower now? After installing a new antenna, it became 24 meters higher. The total weight of the tower is 10 thousand tons. With each painting, the weight of the building increases by another 60 tons.

The fate of the tower after the exhibition and the attitude of the Parisians towards it

According to the agreement concluded with the Eiffel, the tower was to be dismantled 20 years after the construction. Its success was resounding - during the exhibition, more than two million people wanted to look at the ingenious building, which had no equal in the world. During the year, it was possible to recoup most of the construction costs. But the admiration of the visitors of the exhibition was not shared by the creative intelligentsia of Paris. The Eiffel Tower (France did not know a more controversial opinion about any other building) caused outrage and irritation among artists and writers. They considered it ugly, like a factory chimney, and feared that it would violate the unique image of Paris, which has been developing for centuries.

The history of the Eiffel Tower could have ended with its dismantling, if not for the advent of the era of radio. Radio antennas were installed on the building, and the building acquired significant strategic value. The demolition of the tower was now out of the question. In 1906, a radio station was placed in the Eiffel Tower, and in 1957 a television antenna appeared on its top.

Description of the Eiffel Tower and the reasons for its design features

The lower floor of the building is a pyramid. It is formed by four inclined supports. The first square (65 meters in diameter) platform of the tower rests on them. The supports are connected by arched openwork vaults. Above on four pillars lies the second platform. The next four columns of the tower begin to intertwine and join into a huge column. It contains the third platform. Above it are a lighthouse and a small platform a little more than a meter in diameter.

On the first site, as conceived by the architect, there was a restaurant. On the second floor there was another restaurant and containers of machine oil for servicing the elevators. The third site was given over to laboratories (astronomical and meteorological).

For the unusual shape of the tower, the Eifel was criticized at the time. In fact, the brilliant engineer and architect was well aware that for such a tall structure, the main danger is a strong wind. The design and shape of the tower are designed to withstand large wind loads.

Eiffel Tower: interesting about the famous symbol of Paris

Adolf Hitler during the occupation of France by German troops visited Paris and expressed a desire to climb the Eiffel Tower. But right before his arrival, the elevator drive was seriously damaged, and it was not possible to repair it in military conditions. The German leader was never able to climb the tower. After the liberation of the French capital, the elevator started working a few hours later.

The architect of the Eiffel Tower was very concerned about safety issues, since the work was carried out at a very high altitude. In the entire history of construction, not a single worker died - this is a real achievement for those years.

Unpleasant events are also associated with the Eiffel Tower - in 2009 it was awarded the third place in popularity among suicides.

It will take a year and a half of work and 60 tons of paint to repaint the tower.

On a day, the tower consumes as much electricity as a small village of a hundred houses.

The famous symbol of Paris has its own patented color - "brown eiffel". It is as close as possible to the real bronze shade of the structures of the structure.

There are more than 300 copies of the famous tower in the world. Several of them are located in Russia: in Moscow, Krasnoyarsk, Perm, Voronezh and Irkutsk.

Eiffel Tower in culture

The famous building has repeatedly become the object of interest of artists, poets, writers and directors.

The history of the Eiffel Tower is recorded in documentary sources, and its possible future has been shown more than once in apocalyptic films. One of the most interesting films is the documentary The Future of the Planet: Life After People. It shows that without maintenance, the Eiffel Tower will not be able to withstand its main enemies for a long time: rust and wind. In about 150-300 years, its upper part at the level of the third platform will collapse and fall.

But most often the Eiffel Tower can be seen on the canvases of artists. Jean Bero, known for his genre paintings depicting everyday life in Paris, created the painting "Near the Eiffel Tower", in which a Parisian woman looks at a huge building with surprise. Marc Chagall devoted a lot of works to the creation of Eiffel.

Conclusion

One of the most recognizable buildings in the world is the Eiffel Tower. France is rightly proud of this amazing symbol of Paris. The view from the top of the tower to the city is magnificent.

You can admire it any day - the brilliant creation of Gustave Eiffel is open to visitors on weekends as well.